BRIDGEPORT, Conn. – Tyrell Fortune continued his perfect start to life as a mixed martial artist, then called on Bellator’s matchmakers to add to his workload as he looks to move up the heavyweight ladder.

The former collegiate wrestling ace defeated fellow undefeated prospect Rudy Schaffroth via second-round rear-naked choke in the main card opener at Bellator 225 and told reporters backstage that now is the time for him to get more challenges, more often, inside the Bellator cage.

“Every time I get back in the cage I feel more and more at home and more comfortable,” he said. “It’s just the layovers don’t make sense when I’m healthy, I’m training. Why am I not in the cage? I’m undefeated and I’m knocking guys out.”

There was some bad blood heading into the contest, with Fortune (7-0 MMA, 7-0 BMMA) believing Schaffroth (6-1 MMA, 2-1 BMMA), a current teammate of his twin brother Tyree, had actively pursued the fight. But that turned out not to be the case, and Fortune said there were no hard feelings after the fight.

“I just told him ‘Hey man, I know you didn’t ask for the fight. Good job, congratulations, keep your head up, man. Let’s grab a drink afterward (and) catch up.’ he said. “He was cool (after the fight). This is our job. You can’t be mad at someone for going to work.”

He also said he expected Schaffroth to be a factor in the division as their respective careers progress.

“I definitely think I could be seeing Rudy again,” he suggested. “I think a lot of guys are going to have a hard time beating Rudy in the future and he’s going to get better. He’s going to go back, get better, develop more and he’s going to come ready next time.”

Fortune’s victory came after a frustrating eight-month wait between fights despite being fit and ready to go. That frustration has led to Fortune taking matters into his own hands, as he explained.

“How am I going to get that experience if I’m not in the cage?” he said. “That’s why I actually want to take a boxing match here in two weeks, September 14, to get more ring time, more hand time, and become a complete martial artist.

“This whole thing, I’m not a wrestler, I’m trying to be a complete martial artist. It’s just getting more competition. In wrestling we compete every Saturday, or every couple of weeks, so that’s kinda frustrating, especially when I don’t get all the sparring I should. It’s hard to find sparring partners at heavyweight who want to bang every Friday, you know?”

Fortune showcased his composure and fight I.Q. to break down Schaffroth with powerful leg kicks before eventually battering him on the ground and locking up a rear-naked choke for the win. It was an impressive performance that suggested big things could be just around the corner for the 29-year-old, who said he is ready to face the division’s big names.

“I think definitely (I’m ready), but I need to be compensated for fighting guys like that,” he said. “I’m ready to fight anybody. You can put me up against Roy Nelson (or) any veteran that’s out there that wants a fight, it doesn’t matter to me. I train with Ryan Bader, he’s the champ champ of this company, so anybody else doesn’t really matter.”

One man he isn’t expecting to face off against is former WWE superstar Jake Hager, whom Fortune appears to have very little time for.

“He’s not even a real fighter,” he said, dismissively. “Seriously, that guy is a joke.  I don’t think I need to (fight him) – he doesn’t want to fight me. I called him out, then he went and called out Fedor (Emelianenko). He’s scared, he doesn’t want to fight a real fighter. He should go back to WWE.”

But while he isn’t expecting a call to fight Hager, Fortune is certainly expecting a call, and he wants to get back into the cage as soon as possible to continue his rise up the heavyweight ranks.

“I’m healthy and I’m ready to go, so whenever. Whatever’s going to get me paid,” he said. “I’m just trying to get back in the cage and build my brand.”